Time to Fall Back

by Joanne Ngo, Marketing Coordinator, Business Wire/LA

Spring forward, fall back. It’s a simple way to remember Daylight Saving Time. Every year, twice a year, we adjust our clocks to add more daylight to the evening hours and reduce the amount of “wasted” sunlight in the early morning hours when most people are sleeping. Who came up with this whole concept of “saving” sunlight anyway?

According to National Geographic and David Prerau, author of the book Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time, It all started with a simple observation made by Benjamin Franklin. He noticed that when he woke at 6 a.m., the sun had risen before him. He soon realized that many resources could have been saved if everyone just woke up a bit earlier and slept a bit earlier. Daylight Saving Time grew in popularity around World War I when Germany adopted the tradition in order to reduce artificial light and save coal for the war. It became a great way to save energy and resources and others quickly followed.

With the passing of the Uniform Time Act of 1966 and the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Daylight Saving Time now officially starts at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March and lasts until 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of November. If you are scheduling a press release over the weekend don’t forget to make note of the time change occurring at 2 a.m. on Sunday.